


There Was Us

by Dollycookie6



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, F/M, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dollycookie6/pseuds/Dollycookie6
Summary: Jill and Chris had known each other since the very start of this mess. Now she was losing him. Unfortunately, disaster was the only way she could bring him back.
Relationships: Carlos Oliveira/Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield/Carlos Oliveira, Chris Redfield/Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield/Jill Valentine/Carlos Oliveira
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

Jill remembered the first time that she had met Chris; his eyes were sad but hopeful. They had both moved to Raccoon City for new prospects with the S.T.A.R.S but instead got caught up in life changing events. He was welcoming to her, speaking openly about his past and his sister; he was warm. He was a raging fire that she felt safe around, and it frankly broke her heart how his gaze got colder as the years went on and his hopefulness replaced with callousness.

The last time she had seen Chris, he was a shell of who she had known. He swigged from a hip flask when he thought she wasn't looking but Jill wasn't stupid; she could smell the vodka on his breath. She almost brought it up but instead offered him any comfort she could. Maybe she could spark up something - anything - to give his fire that needed blaze but it was fruitless. He slurred his words and fell asleep on the couch. She put a blanket over him and the next morning he had left without goodbye.

Jill took a backseat in regards to combat at the BSAA after Chris had saved her from Wesker. Then she moved away to the South American branch of the BSAA causing them to drift even further apart. She did try. She called, she texted, she sent him letters; but they were replied to uncomfortably late or ignored. Claire had told her that his pattern of silence was extending even to her; his only family.  
She wanted him to speak to her, she loved him, she cared for him; she had dealt with similar situations to him, they had started this together; but the difference was Jill still had that glimmer of hope deep down that Chris had that first day. It was always there.

Jill had always loved Chris. Perhaps things would have been different if the circumstances were. When Carlos had asked her to marry him, she said yes; feeling guilty, if only slightly. She loved Carlos; she had loved him since she met him; but there was a sense of mourning thinking about what could have been with Chris. She did not want Chris to feel abandoned, he would always have a piece of her heart, even if his seemed to have vanished. 

She decided to give Chris the wedding invitation in person. After numerous attempts at contacting him, he told her where he was and she met him in a hotel room near where where his current BSAA base was; somewhere private where they could talk. She handed him the invitation as he sat on the edge of the bed and he opened it with a stone cold face. He gave her a half hearted "congratulations", his eyes glazing over the words on the card. She frowned, she wanted something. Some emotion. She would beg for even anger if it meant confirmation that inside him was a human being; the man that she had known.

That was the last night they had seen each other. He didn't even come to the wedding. Claire was apologetic at her brothers absence but Jill couldn't break down and cry; she had to keep moving. That was what she had learned to do, ironically, from Chris who had been a beacon of hope for her. He had saved her more times than she could count. It seemed like a failing that she couldn't do the same for him.  
As she said her "I Do" to Carlos, she wished wholeheartedly that Chris would heal. Happiness didn't feel like happiness if she couldn't revel in it with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Jill awoke as she did every night; with nightmares that didn't give her peace. She glanced over at Carlos sleeping soundly by her side, his silhouette outlined with the moonlight peaking through the curtain. She was an expert at leaving her bed without bothering him now; slipping into the tiny but respectful kitchen that adjoined their bedroom.  
The digital clock read 2am, and she wondered when normality would take shape. Though, she had been wondering that since Raccoon City. But now she had Carlos, a husband who loved her. She had a job away from battlefields and B.O.W.S; working behind the scenes gaining Intel and creating strategies in a BSAA office. She did not have to fend for herself anymore.  
So why was she still waking up with her heart ready to jump from her chest?

Jill sat at the kitchen table, skipping through magazines that she had bought to try better pick up Spanish; she wasn't fluent yet, but Carlos was trying his best to help her with his native language. The magazines were mindless celebrity gossip and it confused her how a world so devoid of anything worthwhile still thrived when the actual world was in tatters, but maybe humanity gained temporary relief by reading about other people's drama.  
As Jill sat in curiousity about what she was reading, she noticed her phone vibrating. Reaching out, she picked it up off the table.  
"Hello?" She answered.  
The person on the other end audibly breathed out; "Jill Valentine?"  
"Yes, what is this ab-"  
"Miss Valentine, we are requesting you to come to the Floridian BSAA base infirmary urgently. Transport will be provided at your local base."  
Before Jill could press the person further, the call disconnected.  
Leaving her lost, and frankly, anxious.

She rushed into the bedroom, switching on the light.  
Carlos awakened, covering his eyes from the light; "Jill?"  
"I have to go." She blurted, searching within the closet for stuff she would need.  
"What?" Carlos asked, sitting up in bed now; a sense of concern on his face.  
"BSAA....I don't know what....I just have to leave." She mumbled.  
Carlos rubbed the sleep from his eyes; Jill felt bad for having woken him up. He worked at the local police station now, he had normal working hours, unlike her. She hoped he could get some sleep after she left, though if she was in his position, she wasn't sure she'd be able to.

Jill laced her boots on the edge of the bed and Carlos wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her into him. "Stay safe, supercop."  
Jill turned kissing him gently; "I'll try my best. Get some rest."  
She stood up from his embrace, turning off the light in their room.  
"I'll call you when I get there." She vowed. "Love you."  
"Love you too, my Valentine." Carlos replied.  
Jill shut the door to their bedroom and rushed out to her car parked outside by the sidewalk. She wondered what they were about to tell her that she needed to be there in person; at the infirmary, no less; this early in the morning.

By the time Jill had ended up in Florida, it was at least 9am.  
She had been on a flight for hours, with not one answer as to what she was walking into. She sent Carlos updates every few hours, making sure he knew that she was okay. Though Carlos had seen the very worst of what humanity had to offer during his time in the U.B.C.S., there was a part of him with a deep caring for anyone he loved. She loved that about him, he always had a retort as to why humanity had redeemable qualities when she was being pessimistic about the world. Even after all that he had seen; that's how she realized purity still existed in some capacity.

She got off the plane to blinding Floridian sun and was led by armed soldiers to an elevator. They ignored her requests wondering what was going on, bringing her to the basement which held the infirmary. A doctor ambled up her; "Jill."  
"Affirmative." She replied, following the doctor through hallways of hospital beds with soldiers in various states of injury.  
"You're aware of a BSAA operative by the name of; Redfield, Chris?"  
Jill froze hearing his name. "What about him?"  
"Just come with me." The doctor continued on.

Jill's uneasiness grew as she thought the worst. Chris.....what about Chris? Was he......dead? No, her mind couldn't go there. She didn't want to think of that.  
But before she could think more darkly, she heard a recognizable voice; Chris's voice.

The doctor pulled back the curtain on one of the hospital beds, beckoning Jill over. There Chris lay in bed, getting his wounds redressed by a medic. "Chris?" Jill's voice cracked as she sat down, taking in the wounds all over his body.  
"Don't worry. It's not that bad." Chris assured her, groaning. "Could I talk to Jill alone?" Chris asked of the medic and the doctor.  
"I'm not finished dressing your wounds, captain." The medic protested.  
"I can do it....." Jill responded.   
The medic almost argued but sighed in defeat, clear his presence wasn't wanted and handed her the bandage.  
The medic and the doctor left, closing the curtain behind them.  
"You had me worried....." Jill muttered, wrapping the bandage over Chris's wounds carefully.  
"I asked for you." Chris explained, wincing as the bandage touched a sorest part of his arm.  
"What....happened?" Jill asked.  
Chris closed his eyes, clearly in pain, but trying to condure up an answer that wouldn't pain Jill more.  
"I got hurt. Bad battlefield etiquette."  
Jill glared at him, knowing that he was lying. "You were drunk, right?"  
Chris didn't answer but his silence told her everything.  
"So, why me?" She wondered. "Why am I here?"  
"I wanted you here." He stated.

Jill finished wrapping up his bandage. "There."  
"Thank you." Chris said, brushing his hand over the bandages.   
"Thank me by not drinking vodka shots while fighting B.O.W.S." She stated.  
Chris looked over at the woman beside him who's eyes wouldn't meet his; he had upset her greatly the past few years, but he wanted to change things. Somehow.  
His eyes glazed over the wedding ring on her finger and it occured to him how profoundly he had stung her. This wasn't one incident, this was years of not valuing their friendship. He remembered Claire berating him about not going to Jill's wedding and instead of apologizing, he drank more. He ignored everything around him, living in a blur of cocktails and flings in various cities. He was incompetent at his job, barely making it out alive half of the time. And look where that got him; with broken ribs and burns, because he couldn't go out without his trusty hip flash. He hadn't drank in days but that was mostly because they wouldn't refill his hip flask with what he asked.

"They're giving me a few months out of action. To recover." He told her.  
"Well, you should use that time wisely. No alcohol."   
"I can't promise that."  
"There's not much you can promise." Jill hissed.  
"I'm sorry." Chris uttered, sincerely.  
There was a part of her that wanted badly to forgive him and to let him know that everything was okay. That they could carry on like they used to. But they couldn't. Jill had grown tremendously since those days and Chris was stuck somewhere she hadn't been able to reach for years.  
"I hope for your sake you mean that, Chris. I miss you. And I don't know who you have become."

The silence grew for a few minutes as they both questioned where to go from there.  
"I have to find somewhere to stay while I'm out of action." Chris mumbled. "Maybe I'll go live somewhere in Europe. Maybe Italy."  
"You could stay with me." Jill blurted, before she could stop herself.   
Chris's eyes widened at this statement. "Huh?"  
Jill didn't want to dig the hole further; at least without Carlos's permission; but the desperate part of her; that wanted to mend everything she had with Chris; continued.  
"You'd have to sleep on the couch."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Chris, i'm sure." She lied, seeing that rare delight on his face. How she missed seeing him smile. Maybe this would be good for them both. Maybe they could stitch up everything that fell apart for them. Maybe he could help her heal from what haunted her. Or maybe this would ruin everything. Only time could tell.


	3. Chapter 3

It had almost been a whole day since Jill had left her home; Chris had spent a good part of the day trying to get discharged from the infirmary, leaving Jill to sit uncomfortably on the chair by his bedside, wondering how she was going to convince Carlos that having Chris stay there for awhile would be a good thing.

Carlos had only ever met Chris once, briefly. When Jill had been rescued from Wesker's clutches and Carlos had found out. He had sent a handwritten letter to her mother, since he couldn't reach Jill directly. Jill was angry at this, of course, afraid that it was some kind of ruse that only existed to hurt her after all that had happened. But, against her better judgement, she took the bait. She begged Chris to come with her and, as he could see how fearful she was, he followed. She texted the number that was written on the letter and they arranged to meet in a bar in a secluded town. She remembered holding her holster as she ambled into the bar with Chris, expecting a B.O.W. to savage her.  
Chris had sat at a table where he could watch her like a hawk and she sat there, waiting.   
There was a point where she was sure that nobody; Carlos or not; would show up. That it was a strange prank that didn't have any end goal. But before she could pack up and leave, a tall man with a winning smile walked in; sitting at her table.  
They talked and talked, until Chris went over to their table. And if she was being honest, she had forgotten that he was there.  
"Carlos.....meet Chris." She grinned, delighted to introduce the two men she loved most to each other; But before Carlos could extend a hand to greet him, Chris nodded in his direction and left quietly out of the bar door. Jill and Carlos had been left speechless.  
That meeting was the seed to Carlos not liking Chris, watered only by the tears Jill shed numerous times over Chris and his coldness towards her. And now she was going to bring Chris home, like a puppy from the shelter, and try to convince her husband to keep him.

The plane ride home was silent, Chris had fallen asleep for most of it, tired from his cocktail of pain medication. She had wrapped a blanket around him, like she had the very last time they had met, but this time he looked peaceful. Yes, his face was scarred and his body broken from battle, but he looked.....like Chris. Like the man she had first met. And she savored that.   
She drove them from the base and all through the city until they stopped outside a meek bungalow painted chalky white. It wasn't much, but Jill didn't ask for much, it was a home.   
Her heart beat harder now, she had not texted Carlos about Chris, but the light was on inside their house, and he would know soon enough.  
Chris followed her, one arm in a sling, as she carried the small amount of belongings he had in a backpack. The heat was intense, even this late at night. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and unlocked the front door.  
The smell of food filled the air and Jill realized that Carlos was in the kitchen cooking. She gestured Chris inside and left his bag on the couch.   
"Jill?" Carlos called out. Jill could feel the bile rising in her throat but went into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her and on Chris.  
"I need to tell you something....." Jill said, her back up against the kitchen door.  
"I gotta tell you something too! I finally figured out how to use that goddamn rice cooker. You know the fancy one? Well...." Carlos beamed until he noticed Jill looked paler than usual. "Are you okay?"   
Jill nodded before running to the kitchen sink to puke. She didn't know what got over her but this situation felt too much. Carlos rubbed her back, concerned, and then the kitchen door opened.  
Chris and Carlos glared at each other, like cowboys ready to duel.   
"What's he doing here?" Carlos asked, mild irritation in his voice.  
"That's what I was going to tell you......." Jill turned to him. "I'm sorry."

The three sat down, awkwardly, eating the risotto that Carlos had made. Nobody could say a word. Carlos could not keep his eyes off of Chris, convinced Chris could pounce any minute. Chris played off of Carlos's constant staring, watching him and moving slowly. Jill's focus was on her food, ignoring the two men and their perceived feud. She could feel the tension, but didn't like it. She had caused this, she was sure.  
"You're such a good cook." Jill piped up, looking at Carlos with pleading eyes, trying her best to tell him to loosen up.  
Carlos reached out and held her hand.  
"You could improve." Chris blurted, shoving a forkful of rice into his mouth.  
"So, could you but we're not going to get into that." Carlos retorted.  
Chris stood up. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"  
"Chris......" Jill whispered.  
Carlos could tell he had hit a nerve with Chris and stood up, his face close to Chris'; "You don't intimidate me."  
Chris pushed Carlos away with his good arm and marched out of the kitchen into the living room.  
Carlos shook his head, disappointed.  
"After all he put you through, Jill. God...." Carlos cried, going into their bedroom.

Jill quietly cleaned each plate of food left on the table. It was a shame. She poured a glass of water and went into the living room, putting the glass on the table along with Chris' medication.  
"Your meds." She reminded Chris.  
Chris was lying on the couch but took his meds willingly.  
"My mind hasn't been right. I would have forgotten." He admitted.  
Jill nodded, patting his shoulder.   
"Did you bring your flask?" She asked him, prompting Chris to search through his bag, pulling out a silver flask adorned with his initials.  
"I'm serious about changing, Jill."  
He handed the flask to her and she looked over it. This was the ruination of Chris. This tiny bottle that he filled with vodka. She wanted to throw it through the window with anger. The bottle was emptied of anything but there was still a strong stench of alcohol that permeated from it. Now that Wesker was gone, this was her one true enemy and it had taken her best friend away.  
"I'll figure out what to do with this. Get some rest."  
Chris turned on the couch, trying to get comfortable but his built was much too large for a tiny couch. She felt bad but it was all she could do at that moment for him. She shut off the light and went to her own bedroom.

Carlos was lying wide eyed, staring at the ceiling in the dark on his side of the bed. She hid the flask under a pile of clothes and changed into the shirt Carlos had discarded on the floor. Getting into bed, she moved closer to him.  
"I am sorry. I just.....i'll always want to protect Chris." She whispered.  
Carlos brushed the hair from her forehead, making out her bright blue eyes in the dimness of night.  
"Can't you try? For me?" She asked. "He saved me. The least I can do is this."  
Carlos pondered on what Jill had said. Seeing Chris' face up close made him realize how much he detested Chris for how upset he had made Jill. "I can try, for you. But if he makes you cry....."  
"I get it, Carlos, but I can handle myself." She insisted.  
Though she had been a mess emotionally since getting back from Wesker, she was getting better. She was strong, she knew that deep down.  
Carlos nodded, kissing her forehead. "Just get some sleep."   
Jill feared that nothing could be fixed and that she was wasting her time even trying.   
As Jill drifted off to sleep in Carlos' arms, she thought about how she wanted everything to be how it was. But would it ever be the same? She didn't know what she could do, but she felt that she would be as happy as she had been once. She had to try.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Jill had woken up to an empty bed, assuming Carlos had left for work. She had stuff to do too, but she could do her paperwork from home. She showered, dressed and strolled into the living room where Chris was laying halfway on the couch. His legs hung off the edge and she was sure he was uncomfortable.  
"You doing okay?" She whispered to him.  
His eyes fluttered open at her voice.  
"Morning." He grunted, sitting up and rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm good."  
She could tell he didn't have a great sleep but she'd work something out.  
"About last night. Things got out of hand." He sighed, and sipped the water on the living room table.  
Jill sat beside him, wrapping an arm around him. "Just upsets me that you guys can't be friends. You both mean so much to me."  
"I'm still getting used to you being Jill Whatever-His-Surname-Is" Chris expressed, bitterness underneath his words.  
"Firstly, I still, and always will go by Valentine. Secondly, I am still same old Jill, just with a ring on my finger." She wiggled her fingers, showing off her white gold wedding ring.  
"But you've changed so much. For the better." Chris paused before continuing. "Me? I'm a mistake generator. Speaking of mistakes, I shouldn't be here" Chris picked up his bag.  
"I want you here." Jill insisted. "I wouldn't have asked you to come here!"  
Chris rummaged through his bag, finally pulling out a beret. "You gave me this."  
Jill took the beret, decorated with the S.T.A.R.S logo. "Well, Isn't this a throwback." Her cheeks blushed, remembering.  
"You gave me it after the mansion incident. I wanted you to have it back." He stated.  
"But why now? It's been.......decades." she frowned slightly, holding the beret that she had lovingly worn for a time in her hands.  
"Because I have to let go of the past." He uttered.  
Jill held onto the beret, letting the memories of the mansion incident go through her; it was painful. She could go back to the smell of decay that lingered in the mansion. It was like she was back there in the helicopter with Chris, wondering if they'll ever recover from the horror that they had gone through; naivity when she remembered everything that had happened after.  
"Chris, I am still here, you know that right?" She asked. "I'm not your past."  
Chris looked down at the wooden floor; "Yeah, I know."

For the rest of the day, Chris spent his day watching telenovelas between naps on the couch from his debilitating pain medications. Jill was busy in the kitchen, doing her job but she wasn't as focused as she usually was. Normally, she would be finished in record time, but today it was taking her half the day to do one report. She had been feeling off the past few days; groggy. And whether that was the drama that unintentionally ensued, she didn't know, but what she did know was that her brain didn't feel capable of the task at hand. She shut her laptop off and rubbed her temple; what did the world have against her? Couldn't she get peace for once?  
She overheard the front door open and heavy boots walking on wooden floorboards, opening the kitchen door.  
"Evening, supercop." Carlos exclaimed, fairly bubbly.  
"Good day at work?" She asked.  
"I bought dinner. And donuts."  
"For Chr-"  
"Yes, I bought your work husband dinner too." Carlos teased, rolling his eyes.  
Jill went up to him and squeezed him into a hug; "Thank you. I love you."  
Carlos kissed her forehead, he couldn't help his heart jumping when she acted so affectionately towards him.  
Jill, smiling from ear to ear, leaned out the door. "Chris. Food."

Chris had a gloomy look on his face as he sat eating his food. He had meekly thanked Carlos and made some off handed comment about his food being poisoned, but this was progress. They were all seated at the kitchen table and Jill felt a sense of calm wash over her. They were trying, that's all she wanted. They weren't speaking to each other, but they respected her enough not to argue.  
"How's the couch?" Jill piped up.  
"Um, it's okay." Chris replied, eating a mouthful of food.  
Carlos looked at both of them as he sipped his water, trying to decode the words they spoke.  
"I was thinking....." Jill started, unsure how to talk about this without them breaking out into more arguing. "Maybe you could sleep in my bed."  
Carlos' eyes widened and Chris almost choked on his food.  
"What?" Chris and Carlos said in unison; both confused in their own unique way.  
"No, no....not like that....I take the couch! You guys take the bed."  
Carlos raised an eyebrow; "You want me to sleep next to him???"  
Jill sighed. "I am the smallest here. The couch is fine for me."  
"Jill, no!" Carlos protested.  
Chris coughed awkwardly. "I'm good with the couch."  
"You're healing." Jill retorted. "You can't fit on the couch. You're too....tall."  
"How could you say that and just expect us to be okay with it?" Carlos demanded.  
"It's not that big of a deal. You guys did it all the time during military."  
Carlos and Chris glared at each other, wondering whether they should continue to press about their hatred of each other.  
"I'm not spooning you. That's reserved for Jill." Carlos sneered at Chris.  
Carlos put his plate into the sink and while his back was turned, Chris responded.  
"I would clearly be the big spoon anyways....." Chris muttered, making Jill crack up slightly; putting her face into her hands to hide her amusement.  
She smiled at Chris softly, and he looked away hiding his grin. The things he did to make her beam. Even if it meant lying next to Carlos all night.

That night Jill had went to the couch, lying down. It was the perfect size for her, not one limb out of place. Jill was not tiny but she was smaller than both Carlos and Chris. They were gigantic in comparison to her.  
Chris and Carlos on the other hand went to the same bedroom; Chris lay on Jill's side of the bed and Carlos in his rightful place.  
They were both weirded out at the strangeness of this arrangement, leaving a gap between them both. Carlos, at one point, even got up from the bed and put a pillow barrier between them after awhile.  
"Go to sleep." Chris groaned as Carlos set up each pillow in the dark, making sure to punch each pillow into place.  
"You go to sleep!" Carlos snapped.  
"I'm trying!!"  
Carlos got back into the bed, yanking most of the blanket to his side. Chris, with his good arm, yanked the blanket back.  
"What is your problem?" Carlos mumbled.  
"You!!"  
Carlos turned on his side, facing away from Chris; "You really hurt her, you know that, right?"  
For some reason this hurt more than anything else that could have been said, no matter how insulting, and Chris sunk deeper into the mattress.  
"I know." Chris croaked.  
Both eventually went to sleep but Chris spent a good portion of the night overthinking. Jill was better without him. Carlos had confirmed that. He didn't know why she gripped onto him all these years when he was a catalyst of hurt. It's why he had given her back her beret, they needed to cut their ties. But it was hard. When he saw her face it was like everything melted away. But for her, his face was a source of misery and regret. He drifted off to sleep, tears welling up in his eyes. He wanted her to be happy.


	5. Chapter 5

Carlos awoke first, surprisingly having slept well considering he had to share a bed with......Chris.   
Chris was knocked out, snoring lightly into the pillow beside him. Carlos was so used to seeing Jill there that seeing Chris had almost triggered his fight or flight response.  
Carlos got out of bed, yawning; he had work and wanted to see Jill before then. He felt bad that she was all alone on the couch and away from him. He knew she had a good heart and would put everyone else before herself; it was how she was made. Especially when it came to friends like Chris, she'd do anything to make them more comfortable.

He went out into the living room, noticing a bundle of blankets but, to his surprise, no Jill underneath them. Maybe she was in the kitchen, he thought to himself, walking by the couch and into the kitchen; but she wasn't there either.  
He was puzzled, maybe she had gone out? But.....at this hour?   
He picked up his phone, calling her number, then he heard a buzzing from her purse; she had left her phone at home.  
His worry was starting to set in, maybe Chris would know.  
Carlos rushed back into the bedroom, poking Chris' shoulder. Chris turned, eyes half closed with sleepiness.  
"Do you know where Jill is?" Carlos asked, brushing a hand through his hair anxiously.  
"No....what? Why?" Chris sat up at this question.  
"She's gone......she left her phone, her hand bag......"  
"Maybe she wanted to get something in the store." Chris reassured him.  
"Chris, it's 5am. It's odd. It's worse than odd. It's bizarre. It's not like her."  
Chris knew Carlos was right, but at the same time, he didn't think they should jump to conclusions. He understood Carlos' worry, Jill was unfortunately a target because of the work she did, but maybe this could be explained easily.

Chris immediately went into the living room, picking up Jill's purse. Carlos was pacing back and forth from the kitchen, bathroom and living room trying to check for anything out of place. Everything was how it was last night, he couldn't wrap his head around where she had gone. He was hoping that she would burst through the front door and put a rest to his fears, but there was something off. He couldn't put his finger on it.  
Chris searched her bag; firstly pulling out her phone; which only had Carlos' missed call on it, everything else was mundane; and then a small cosmetics bag which contained a makeup items and gum; but then at the bottom of the bag, to his horror, he pulled out a seemingly used pregnancy test with a clear pink line. Chris felt like he had stumbled upon something he wasn't supposed to know about and threw the pregnancy test back into the bag.  
"Anything?" Carlos asked him, ambling back into the living room from the kitchen for the dozenth time, not noticing Chris' slight panic.  
"Nothing." Chris lied, shoving the cosmetics bag back into her purse, on top of the test to hide it, but leaving Jill's phone on the table. Had she told Carlos about it? He didn't want to overstep his boundaries by telling him, maybe she wanted to do that herself.  
Carlos picked up her phone, flicking through anything he could; emails, photos, texts, but alas, like Chris, he found nothing.  
"I just don't get it." Carlos sighed. "I keep thinking about the people that have something against her."  
Chris grabbed his boots and put them on; "Well, let's go drive to the store."

Carlos and Chris began to drive around the relatively quiet neighbourhood, bar a few dogs startled by the headlights of Carlos' car driving on the road. It was clear that nowhere in walking distance was open and Jill's car was still in the driveway, so the theory that Jill had gone to the store seemed to be debunked. This made Chris more wary; he had a feeling that Carlos was right about Jill not being taken by her own volition. But he couldn't lose her again.

Carlos drove into the parking lot of a police station; the light above the entrance door flickering.   
"Where are we?" Chris asked, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind him with his good arm. His other arm was still held in it's sling and was throbbing; he could use some of his painkillers right about now.  
"This is where I work. I figured that maybe we can use the database. Or the scanner. Anything." Carlos went to the entrance and tried the handle. "Locked. Times like this we could use Jill. Weird, since it should be opened."  
Carlos took a step back and studied the building.   
"Back entrance?" Chris suggested, walking around the corner into the dark abyss of the back of the station.  
Carlos followed, turning on the flashlight of his phone. "You see anything?"  
"Bingo." Chris said. "Window open. Climb onto the trash bin and see if you can go through."  
Carlos handed Chris his phone, cracked his knuckles, and climbed up onto the trash bin, then onto the window ledge; he pulled himself up, falling into the room.  
"I'm in." Carlos said. "Wait at the front, I'll open it for you."

Chris ran back to the entrance and heard the door unlock, with Carlos standing there.  
"This place is fucking creepy at night, dude." Carlos whispered.  
"Well, as long as it has tools that might find out where Jill is, I guess we'd better get used to it." Chris gave Carlos back his phone and felt the wall for a light switch which promptly lit up the foyer.  
"I don't understand why it was shut. Where is everyone? There has to be at least someone here."  
They entered to a room with work stations and Carlos went to one near the back; it had pens scattered on the desk and a picture of Jill and Carlos on their wedding day. Chris lifted the picture up to study it, while Carlos turned on his computer.  
"I'm sorry I wasn't there." Chris stated, placing the picture back down.  
"We can't change the past." Carlos replied cooly, typing his information into the computer.  
Then came a crash from another room causing Chris and Carlos to be on guard.  
"What was that?" Carlos asked to nobody in particular.  
"Let's check it out." Chris insisted.

The two men cautiously went to the door of the other room, opening it. Then they heard another crash and footsteps running down the hall. The two of them rushed, following the noise. They ended up outside of a door that had been shut right before their eyes and Carlos slammed it open with his shoulder.  
"Freeze!" The voice said, holding a gun up to Chris and Carlos; it was a man in a police uniform, his shirt soaked with blood.  
Chris and Carlos, both weaponless, put their hands up.  
"I'm a cop. And he's in the BSAA. We're not gonna hurt you." Carlos pleaded.  
The man in the uniform lowered his gun hesitantly; "Why are you here?" He asked.  
"I'm looking for my wife. The name's Carlos. " Carlos said. "That's Chris."  
Chris moved slowly towards the man. "Why are you bleeding?"  
"Wouldn't you like to know?" The man hissed, putting up his weapon shakingly again.  
"Hey man, I told you. We won't hurt you." Carlos repeated.  
"Awful creature. Bad." The man wiped the sweat off his forehead, close to tears.  
"Relax. You're safe." Chris reassured him.  
The man held his chest, coughing; "You gotta get it. Before it gets us all. Basement."  
The man pointed past the door and down the hallway. Suddenly, the man began to choke and his arm fell to his side. Carlos checked the man's pulse; "Nothing."  
"No, this can't be happening again." Chris blurted, shaking his head.  
"Maybe we'll find Jill where whatever that creature is. B.O.W.S seem to take a liking to her." Carlos suggested, going out to the hallway. "There's a weapons cache here. We can grab some equipment."  
Carlos went into a locker room, picking up whatever weapons and protection he could.  
Chris did the same; throwing his arm sling onto the bench. There's no way he could do this with that on his arm.  
"You know I could go by myself." Carlos said, reloading a handgun. "You're hurt."  
"No, no, no....I want to find Jill." Chris insisted.  
"I guess nothing could persuade you not to come." Carlos sighed.  
"This is the least I could do for her." Chris nodded in Carlos' direction and trekked back out to the hallway, his arm stinging worse than ever. But he was going to do whatever it took to find her; he knew it's what she'd do for him.


	6. Chapter 6

Jill woke up to the sound of ceiling fans, her hands tied to the radiator with handcuffs, in what looked like a lab. She tried to pull her hands loose but to no avail. Her mind was groggy as she tried to recall what had happened that had got her in this situation.  
She was still wearing her kitty pyjamas; great, she thought, add that to the list of worst outfits to break free in, next to the battle suit.  
The desk nearby had papers nearby, stacks of paper that....were kept together with paperclips. Jill outstretched her leg as far as she could, knocking a paper off of the desk, pulling it over with her foot.  
She glossed over the words on the paper, nothing too interesting, nothing that would expose where she was. Instead she discarded the pages, taking only the paperclip.  
Jill knew she could unlock the handcuffs, she had done it before, though admittedly a paperclip was hard to work with. She pushed the paperclip near enough to her hands and straightened it out, feeling for the lock of the handcuffs. It felt like an eternity as she began unlocking until finally she heard a click and her hands were free.

She ambled over to the door; locked.  
She wondered if whoever had put her there had deliberately wanted to test her skill; not that unlocking things was hard for her, but it did get in the way of escaping.  
With her trusty paperclip, she opened the door, with ease in comparison to the handcuffs. She could feel the bile rise in her stomach and before she knew it, she was leaning against the wall, vomiting onto the tile floor. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her heart beating fast; God, she hated her sudden bout of sickness since she had found out she was pregnant. She was hoping it passed soon.

Jill turned around, hearing a manical laugh behind her; standing there was a man wearing a bloodied lab coat, the left side of his face cut deep with scars.  
"Valentine. I can see why he wanted you." The man moved forward causing Jill to press her back to the wall.  
"Who are you?" She asked, her voice merely a whisper.  
"My name is Monty. I doubt you've heard of me, my presence has gone under the radar for the BSAA thus far." He explained. "But someone I loved was taken from me."  
Jill looked at him in confusion.  
"What do you want from me?" She cried.  
"I want to right the wrongs that you helped cause, Valentine. You were in that helicopter...."  
"What are you tal -" Jill started before he cut her off.  
"Wesker. Albert Wesker. You remember him?" Monty smirked.  
Jill stayed silent. Wesker brought out a bubbling anger within her, everything he did to her and to her friends stayed at the forefront of her mind.  
"But you, Valentine. You're valuable. And for Wesker, I will carry on his work."  
"Fuck you." Jill hissed, going to punch him but he grabbed her wrist.  
"I think you should rest. You're carrying a child, Valentine."  
"How do you know that?"  
"I tested your blood when you got here." Monty released Jill's wrist, pushing her to the ground. "It made me think that maybe we can bring Wesker back. Through your child."  
"You're a sick bastard!" Jill shouted.  
"I've been told." Monty said, smashing her head against the ground and knocking her out swiftly.

Meanwhile, Chris and Carlos had traversed the police station until they had come across the door to the basement forcibly crashed through.  
"I hope we're going the right track." Carlos admitted, as they walked down the spider webbed hallways that were only lit by exit signs and the rare flickering light bulb.  
"It's a start. We have nowhere else to find her. I sent a notice to the BSAA but I don't want it to be too.....late." Chris stated.  
Chris wondered if he should let Carlos know what he had found in her bag but he didn't want to worry him further. Carlos kept talking to himself as they checked the rooms they could, blaming himself for her disappearance.  
"I mean, maybe she's at home right now." Chris suggested.  
"After what we've seen?" Carlos scoffed.  
"Anything is possible." Chris replied, patting Carlos on the shoulder.  
"I promised her that I'd protect her."  
"You and me both, Carlos."  
Carlos brushed a hand through his hair anxiously; "She just has to be safe. I can't lose her. I only found her again, I can't do another decade without her, let alone a day."

Down the hallway, they heard a scratching against a door.  
"Let's go check it out." Carlos suggested, and they both got their weapons ready.  
They stood at either side of the door, and Chris opened it; rushing in, guns in front.  
The room they entered was covered in a thick coating of bloody mess.  
"What the -"  
Before Carlos could finish, a worm like creature jumped on him from the vent, pinning him to the floor. Chris showered the creature in bullets, careful not to hit Carlos, but the creature stood up; his attention was on Chris now.  
"Hey asshole" Carlos shouted, unloading his machine gun into it's back, while he lay on the ground. A giant bulbous mass appeared on it's chest and Chris retrieved his knife, slamming it into the mass.  
The creature fell to the floor, screetching; an blue liquid bubbling from it's chest.  
"Oh, how I missed seeing those messed up fuckers." Carlos said sarcastically, reloading.  
Chris laughed half heartedly. "I know a few cops that have dealt with these on the job."  
"My job now is paperwork and getting coffee. Maybe I'll give people tickets for speeding. Who knows. Day varies." Carlos said, kneeling down to look at the creature.  
Chris went to the corner of the room to look at what was on the desk; he looked at the files, reading each page with curiousity.  
"This is bizarre." He stated.  
"What is?" Carlos asked, walking over to Chris.  
Chris passed a file to Carlos, which opened to pictures of Wesker; whoever had made this file must have had a deep admiration for Wesker. The person spoke with passion, about how perfect Wesker had been, and how he would avenge his death.  
"Wait.....this is signed by Monty Palerma. The police chief here." Carlos sputtered. "I can't believe this. The guy has access to everything about me. If he has......taken her....hurt her." Carlos balled his fist angrily.  
"We'll find him. And we'll find Jill. She has us both." Chris reassured. "And when we get this Wesker fanboy, we can bring him to the BSAA."  
Carlos nodded at Chris; "You're right....."  
"The creature came from the vents. Maybe Monty is here too" Chris said, opening the door to another room, and they kept alert for Monty and those disgusting creatures.


	7. Chapter 7

Jill lay on an uncomfortable metal framed bed with the thinnest mattress, in a cell which was had various posters of Wesker plastered around. She had ripped a few off in frustration but gave up, exhausted.  
She wondered what Carlos and Chris were doing; if they had realized she was missing. In some ways she hoped they did and in others she didn't want them to get caught up in whatever she was involved in.  
The door of the cell opened and she sat up, alert.  
"Miss Valentine...." Monty said, a smirk on his face. "I have plans for you."  
"I promise you won't get far with them." She stated. "Wesker didn't."  
Monty ambled in, a look of frustration on his face. "Wesker was a talented, genius. Gone at your hand."  
"Wesker was a selfish man. Not a God. Not a genius. A product of Umbrella."  
This seemed to enrage Monty and he pounced forward, but Jill dodged him running into the hallway.  
He ran after her, producing a syringe from his pocket; "I am not done with you!" He shouted.

Jill tried the doors in the hallway to no avail. She realized this was a dead end; she was cornered. She dodged him as best as she could until he grabbed her by the arm, twisting it behind her back. He held the syringe in his hand as Jill wriggled. She managed to grab the syringe with her free arm, kicking it from his hand.  
"You bitch!" He screamed.  
She rolled over to the syringe, holding it up in front of her for defence.  
He grabbed her again, trying to remove the syringe from her grip.  
And then she did. With quick thinking, she jabbed the syringe into his neck causing him to drop her.  
Monty began to gasp, holding his neck and falling to the floor. His body convulsed grotesquely and Jill wondered what had been in the syringe.  
She caught her breath, leaving the man on the ground lifeless. Finally, her turmoil was over.  
She went to the far end of the hallway, playing with the lock, with a discarded staple she found on the ground, to leave this hell. She wanted to get out of here, wherever here was. She wanted to feel okay again, she had taken that for granted. She cussed to herself as the lock was stiff and wasn't opening as quickly as she would have liked but then again, she was using a straightened out staple. She could check Monty's pockets but didn't want to upset the peace.   
Then before she knew what was happening, she heard a snarl behind her.   
Looking over her shoulder, Monty had grown tentacle-like appendages; blue liquid pouring from his mouth. Was this what he wanted to do to her? And if so, why?  
Jill knew that she was in for a long night.

Carlos and Chris had gone down several flights of stairs, deeper into the basement.  
"I never told you this, but Jill talked about you so much after.....Raccoon City." Chris said, his face highlighted by the red lights illuminating the stairway. "It kind of annoyed me. How perfect she thought you were."  
Carlos grinned softly; "I was so into her. When I left I never thought I'd see her again. And now I am married to her. Life's funny like that."  
"I'm happy she's happy. I know I don't act like it sometimes." Chris stated. "But I am thankful she has you."  
Carlos simply smiled in reply, checking his gun, not knowing how to respond accordingly.  
Then they heard a screetch; ungodly in every way, coming from a door in the lower levels. Both rushed down the staircase, coming to a door that was locked; hearing thrashing and destruction on the other side.  
"Jill???" Carlos shouted, taking a chance.  
"Carlos?? Is that you???" A feminine voice on the other side asked.   
Chris and Carlos heard another howl and Jill's silence. Carlos tried to break the door, his shoulder bashing against it, panicking.  
"Fuck this." He said, shooting the lock with his machine gun, making the door swing open.  
Chris ran in first, noticing the mass Monty had turned into. The hallway was slathered in a blue goo and Jill, in her pyjamas raced to Carlos, taking the handgun from his holster.  
The three rained bullets on Monty, as his tentacles whipped at them. Chris' could barely feel the sting in his arm as the adrenaline took over him.  
With a shriek, the tentacle smacked the gun from Carlos' hands, knocking him to the floor.   
"No....." Jill yelled, leaning down to check if he was okay. "Chris, he's knocked out."  
Chris could see the pain on her eyes as she checked his pulse and she took out the knife from Carlos' belt.  
Before Chris could stop her, she had jumped into the creature; stabbing the bulbous mass in the middle of it, undettered from the smacks of it's tentacles. Each swing of the knife brought her tears but she didn't stop until there was no life in Monty. Until his body had shriveled up and she was sure there was no movement. Then she crumpled back to the floor, crawling over to Carlos.  
"Chris, his pulse is weak." She whispered, brushing the hair from Carlos' face.

Chris had carried the unconscious Carlos over his shoulder back up the stairway and layed him on a couch in a hallway. He could see the brimming of tears on Jill's face.  
"Help should be here soon. He'll be okay. He's tough." Chris assured her.  
Jill sighed, cross legged on the floor by the couch.   
"Are you okay?" Chris questioned.  
"Yeah....I'm good." She replied.  
"I found the.....test." Chris admitted.  
Jill's eyes widened. "Oh."  
"I know it's not the time. I wanted to make sure you were okay." Chris explained, sitting beside her.  
"How's your arm?" She asked flustered, changing the subject.  
"More recovery time." Chris nodded. "Starting to feel it."  
Jill reached for his arm, moving it slightly, making Chris wince. "I think you hurt it more."  
"I wanted to help save you. Is it strange to admit that I was jealous Carlos was going to be the one to save you and not me?" Chris wondered.  
Jill looked at Chris, his eyes tired and in clear pain. She got a pang of sadness in her chest that she was ignoring all this time. It made her want to burst into tears.  
"Chris, I love you. And I'll always love you. Just as much as Carlos. And if things had been different, maybe it could have been us." Jill closed her eyes, then continued. "And I am struggling with that. I don't want to hurt him. I love him, but that doesn't mean I don't love you less or love him less."  
Jill reached for Chris' face, kissing the side of his mouth. "You're important to me too. Never forget that."   
Chris pulled into Jill, hugging her; as BSAA members rushed into the hallway where they were.  
Carlos began to wake up, his brown eyes opening, to Jill's delight. She scolded him, kissing his face and telling him not to scare her again and the BSAA members put Carlos on a stretcher. Chris could see the softness on Jill's face, as she tearfully held Carlos' hand, following the stretcher.  
Chris felt frozen; he hadn't had a craving for alcohol in quite some time but this scene made him thirst for his hip flask. He wondered if he could deal with the knowledge that Jill loved him back, and he followed them outside.


	8. Chapter 8

They had been brought to one of the South American BSAA infirmaries nearby.  
Chris had got some pain medications and was advised that he may need a cast on his further tortured arm.  
Jill was asleep in bed, getting fluids from an IV from dehydration. Carlos had been checked over and was fine apart from a headache which was starting to lessen.   
All in all, they were all relatively unscathed considering.  
Both Chris and Carlos were sitting by Jill's bedside, with Carlos sitting at the edge of her bed, fixing the hospital blanket over her as she slept peacefully.  
"I'm going to get a drink." Carlos mumbled.  
Chris noticed the coolness in Carlos' tone of voice and decided to follow him, wondering if the shock of what had happened had affected him more than he showed.

Carlos went to a vending machine, followed by Chris. Carlos patted his pockets and cussed under his breath.  
"Here." Chris said, handing him a coin.   
Carlos didn't say thank you but just took the money, putting it in the machine for a soda; his eyes focused everywhere except Chris.  
"I know tonight was rough -" Chris started.  
"She kissed you." Carlos interrupted, pushing Chris, pain clear in his voice. He leaned against the vending machine, feeling his chest collapsing in with hurt.  
"Carlos....." Chris sighed.  
"She said she didn't want to hurt me. But she did." Carlos uttered, pressing the button on the vending machine.  
"I didn't know you saw that." Chris admitted, noticing Carlos' eyes glossy with tears but holding them back.  
"I woke up and.... I saw that....." Carlos choked back his tears, leaning down and picking up the can of soda that had fell from the machine.  
They stood there silently, sorting out their feelings.  
Chris looked around the hallway. Then, without hesitation, he cupped Carlos' face and kissed him right on the lips.  
"Now you both kissed me. So you can't be mad at her." Chris stated, pulling away.  
Carlos wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "What the-"  
"I don't care if you hate me, but she - Jill - loves you. And I am not about to let you ruin your marriage over me. Especially not when she's carrying your child." Chris exclaimed.  
Carlos' face softened. "My child?"  
"It's not my place to say. And she'll probably blast me for even mentioning it to you."  
"I'm gonna be a dad....." Carlos uttered.  
"Maybe. This is a conversation you guys should have with each other." Chris admitted, as Carlos stood there frozen holding his soda in one hand, unopened.  
Chris began to walk back to Jill.  
"Hey, wait." Carlos said. "Thank you."  
Chris nodded in response and went back over to Jill's bedside.

When Jill had woken up again, Carlos had fallen asleep in the chair and Chris was flicking through some fashion magazine he managed to find.  
"What time is it?" Jill asked, stretching her arm.  
"3am. You've been asleep all night." Chris replied, putting down the magazine.  
"I'm still exhausted. How are you?"  
Chris grinned, leaning over and patting her hand. "Doing good."  
They both looked over at Carlos who was starting to wake up at the sound of Jill's voice.  
"There she is...." Carlos sleepily murmured, rubbing his eyes. "That's my Jill."  
"You guys should go home. I'm a big girl, I'll be okay." Jill reassured them.  
"Well, I spoke to Claire. I'm gonna stay at her apartment for awhile." Chris announced. "I might go to alcoholics anonymous while I'm recovering there."  
"Chris, I'm proud of you. But you're always welcome at our home." Jill said, grinning.  
"Plus, I have a feeling that there won't be much room for me soon." Chris winked at Carlos knowingly.  
"Oh no....." Jill whispered, her grin dissipating. "You told him?"  
Chris averted his eyes and Jill crossed her arms. "I was waiting for the right moment...."  
"So, it's true?" Carlos' smile grew. "You're pregnant?"  
Jill angrily shot daggers with her eyes at Chris but nodded meekly in Carlos' direction.  
"I was thinking of telling you at a nicer time. But I guess this is okay too." Jill said to Carlos.  
"This is perfect. We're gonna have a real family." Carlos leaned in and peppered kisses on Jill's face, her laughter infectious.

Chris looked on at their affection, nearly tasting the vodka hitting his tongue, but no; he didn't want to break her heart like that. Her happiness was electric and he wasn't about to ruin that for her. Chris had made many sacrifices in his life but he had to admit, this was one of the most painful. She'd be his friend forever but she wouldn't be his; he had to tell himself that. She loved him and he loved her, but they weren't meant to be. He blamed himself. He wasn't losing her but she was married to Carlos. It was a hard thing because he had warmed to Carlos too. He wondered if he should move on now too but he didn't think he was ready for that just yet, he wanted to become a better man. And he was going to become one. He hoped she remembered how deeply he felt about her forever. That would never change.


	9. Epilogue

It had been almost a year since Jill had seen Chris. He had went to live with Claire. In that time, Jill had given birth to a baby girl who she had named Lily. Carlos had decided to work at the BSAA, as he didn't feel comfortable working at the police station anymore; she couldn't blame him.  
Chris was coming to visit with his sister to meet her daughter for the first time and Jill was nervous at seeing Chris after all this time. She was emotional thinking about it, but she was sure she could blame her hormones on that.

"Carlos, did you put out the snacks?"Jill asked, carrying her daughter in her arms.  
"You know I wouldn't forget." He called from the kitchen. She walked in and he had set up a platter of sandwiches for Chris and Claire.  
"Don't make the joke." Jill warned him as Carlos was about to speak.  
"You look stressed." Carlos noticed, taking the baby from her arms. "You're usually okay with my teasing."  
"I'm scared." Jill admitted.  
"Lil Valentine will protect you." Carlos joked, looking at his baby who was toothlessly chewing on her fingers.  
"I still haven't forgiven you for tricking me into naming our daughter Lily just so you could make that pun." Jill sat at the table until she heard a knock at the door.  
"They're here. Do I look okay? Is everything clean?" Jill panicked.  
"Relax, Supercop. You look beautiful." Carlos assured her.

Jill rushed to the door, opening it with a grin to Claire and Chris; Chris looked healthier and his arm seemed to have healed. Claire immediately pulled Jill into a hug and got distracted by the gurgling baby in Carlos' arms, running over to him to dote on the baby.  
Jill and Chris stood there unsure of what to do or say.  
"I heard you made it to 10 months sobriety." Jill said. "Claire told me."  
Chris reached into his pocket, pulling out a sobriety coin; "they gave me this."  
He handed the coin to Jill; it stated that he had been 10 months clean of alcohol. She wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him tightly.  
"I am so proud. Keep going, you're doing great."  
Jill went over to Lily, taking her from Carlos' arms and handing her to Chris, making sure he held her correctly.  
"She sure has Carlos' hair." Chris stated, looking at the babies full head of hair.  
"I'm not mad about it." Jill kissed her babies forehead.  
"She's beautiful." Chris held her gently, rocking her back and forth. He felt protective of this bundle in his arms, as Lily reached up trying to pull at his pocket.  
"We want you to be her Godfather." Jill told him.   
"Of course....." Chris' eyes twinkled. "I want to make this world better for her."  
Jill began to be overcome with emotion, tears brimming from her eyes and Claire wrapped an arm around her to comfort her.  
Carlos went into the kitchen and came back in, walking up to Chris and Lily.  
Suddenly, he pulled the S.T.A.R.S beret from behind his back and put it on Lily's tiny head, nearly covering her eyes.  
"C'mon, guys, Lil Valentine." Carlos laughed.  
Jill shook her head in disapproval, stifling a smile at him; she loved him despite his cheesy jokes.  
"Tough crowd." Carlos gently took Lily from Chris. "Diaper time. I promise we'll be back, don't miss us too much."

Carlos went upstairs and Claire had wandered into the kitchen to get a sandwich, sensing that perhaps Chris and Jill wanted time alone.  
"Being a mom looks good on you." Chris said, sitting beside her on the couch.  
"I never thought I'd be one." She admitted. "Life is surreal these days."  
"I'm back in training again. Back in action soon." Chris said.   
"Your muscles look even more beefy than usual." Jill poked Chris' bicep. "I can't train for awhile."  
"You have mom duties instead. That's enough training." Chris joked.  
"Things have changed so much. But promise me you'll stay safe when you're back out there fighting."  
"I promise." Chris pinkie promised her. "I want to see Lil Valentine grow up."  
"Can you also promise me you'll never say Lil Valentine again?" Jill asked.  
"I'm sorry, that's not something I can promise."  
Jill held Chris' hand. "So much has changed but I'll always love you, Chris."  
"I love you too." Chris admitted to her, squeezing her hand back. Chris paused, playing with the wedding ring on Jill's finger.  
"I know it's not the right time but I kissed your husband."   
Jill blinked in confusion; "I'm sorry, what?"  
"Long story." Chris said, as Carlos walked down the stairs.  
"Lily was tired so she's napping." Carlos said. "Let's go eat."  
"While we eat you can explain why Chris told me you kissed....." Jill stated, raising at eyebrow.  
"It's a long story." Carlos replied.  
Jill looked amused at the strangeness of what she had been told but followed her husband into the kitchen.   
Jill, Carlos, Chris and Claire laughed and joked for the rest of the day; the heaviness of the experiences they had gone through eleviated for a little while. Chris felt light, his worries temporarily gone as they talked. He meant what he had said, he wanted to protect the world for Innocents like Lily; all the mistakes he had made meant nothing if he couldn't protect the vulnerable. And as he saw Jill, sheer happiness on her face; he knew that his future was going to be okay, as long as she still loved him.


End file.
